Northern Kenya, Lekurruki (Partner: Lekurruki Conservation Trust)

About the region

The Northern Rangelands of Kenya consist of 33 member conservancies which cover 44,000km², occupied by different tribal groups, many of whom are pastoralists. The region also supports 25% of Kenya’s wildlife, including globally significant populations of vulnerable and endangered mammals (such as African Elephant, Rothschild Giraffe and Grevy’s Zebra), living outside formally protected national reserves.

For the last few years, pastoralist communities in the Northern Rangelands have endured season after season of desperately sparse rainfall, draining their ability to cope with drought and causing their livestock to perish in the hundreds of thousands. For these people, the death of their livestock represents a loss of food, income and dignity. Crop prices have also risen dramatically, forcing them to sell their remaining underweight cattle for rock-bottom prices to feed their children, edging them dangerously close to famine.

A recent report by the UN revealed that many families in Turkana County, northern Kenya, were forced to go the entire day without eating. Malnutrition is rife, and conflicts flare up over increasingly limited food, water and pastureland.

About our partner

The Lekurruki Conservation Trust (LCT) is the managing body for Lekurruki conservancy, situated in the northern rangelands of Kenya, that works to protect the wildlife, plants and people of the conservancy.

How we're working together

Excellent Development and LCT have enabled the construction of eight sand dams, benefiting 7,200 people. However it is not just the people of the area that benefit. Other beneficiaries include elephants, giraffes, rhinos, and many other species of wildlife that come to drink at the sand dams.

By providing extra water sources, sand dams help to reduce human-wildlife conflict within the conservancy.

"When water is scarce there is conflict between local people needing water for drinking and cooking and herds of wild animals that also need water to survive in arid conditions. By providing enough water for all we are seeing that people and animals can live side by side."

Supporting people in drylands to build sand dams, which provide a local supply of water, means that less children die each year from curable diarrhoea and women no longer have to bare this burden. Can you help by making a donation that will stop the suffering of communities living in drylands?

Related

Excellent Development and ASDF have a strategic partnership based on shared values and philosophy. Together we have committed to community-led sustainable development and the global promotion of sand dam technology in drylands.

In partnership with Excellent, the Christian Council of Mozambique is currently building multiple sand dams per year in Tete, providing water security to thousands with all the additional benefits that comes with having access to a constant supply of water.

Most read

Read about our plan to directly support other organisations to build sand dams, in turn, realising our vision to support millions of the world’s poorest people by helping them to transform their own lives through water and soil conservation in drylands.